Graded with my Drone & Adventure LUTs: geni.us/STngny

I'm a retired Hollywood cinematographer. Everything you said is spot on. There are a rew very limited use cases for ND filters, in which case, they're essential. Otherwise, nobody notices, nobody cares. Especially, as you say, when viewed on a phone.

I think it would have been more helpful for us novices if the comparison clips were of the same scene. 3:00 it's kind of hard for me to tell the differences when I'm comparing two totally different scenes. Still really appreciate all the work you put into the content!

Finally. At last, someone who actually knows what he is talking about. Thanks. You've done everyone a service. At least a dozen drone KZfaqrs propagate the meme that NDs are a must. In some specific use cases, sure. As a rule of thumb, no. And you can save money by buying one in the mid range that you will occasionally need as opposed to a whole set.

It would have been a more effective demo if the scenes with/without ND filters were the same. The light, clouds, terrain are different and it makes a difference. As a beginner I am using the ND filter to try and control exposure ie prevent over exposure.

Save me money. Thanks Jeven. I did an Air 2s video in full sun at the beach with no ND and it nailed the exposure.

Finally someone honest and impartial explaining all pros and cons with video examples. Looking around seems like we absolutely need nd filters and that will make us pro (or at least not worthless noobs) but thats not how it works, and it could lead to problems and mistakes (like the blurry photo example) for who is still learning. Well subscriber earned. Good job

Hi Jeven, love you channel and the explanation in this video was clear and concise. One piece of criticism is that the example shots weren't very illustrative to me, as they were quite different from one another. I appreciate that it's super difficult to recreate a shot, let alone using a drone, but having a moving car in one shot vs no car at all in the other shot doesn't really illustrate what you're trying to say.

Finally, some that doesn’t push the prophecy of Nd filters . 👏 Most of the times the fuss outweighs the small quality gains… not to mention that if you are a beginner, you can easily damage the gimbal by forgetting to install/remove only when the drone is turned off

Thanks for explaining the proper use of ND filters, and then testing them in field and showing people the difference they make in a world setting. Great video Jeven, and thanks for sharing.

I can’t thank you enough for this video. I thought I was going crazy trying to get my video to look better with the filters, and most of the time having my videos actually look worse because of my inexperience with the filters And putting the wrong one on by mistake. My I’m getting much better footage is much higher without filters, but hearing you explain, it helps so much to confirm what my gut was telling me.

The differences I would see are mostly not to do with motion blur obviously. The ND filter footage resembles TV/film footage in lighting and style. Professionals probably need them for specific reasons. I leave the ND 4 filter provided in the Fly More Combo on my Air 2S to act as a protective layer in front of the camera, not because I want that specific 'look' in my footage.

None of those examples even remotely demonstrates the jitteryness I get without without my ND filters. It almost feel shaky and unwatchable with a fast shutterspeed. Also your comparison shots are completely different shots in different lighting.

For me, it's all about cutting down the sun's glare. W/o filtering, clouds and sky are blown out. With filtering, I can adjust the difference. I've wasted so much time when I first started not having those shades on. That always trumps blur / not blur for me. Close-up fast shots: shades for any glare and motion blur. Far away panning: shades for glare. Motion blur isn't a factor at that distance anyway

I see a difference in fast speeds.I personally fly in cine mode so this will make my life easier.Thank you very much, great video!!

As many vids talk about having ND filters because of motion blur, this video is the best since it says even motion blur is not necessary! And thanks for reminding situations for switching between video and pics

To be honest, I really like the COLOR and sharpness of the videos without the ND filters! Now, I don't know how strong a filter you were using but I bought a 4ND filter WITH polarizing. I may return that filter and simply replace it with a plain polarizing filter with no ND. Thanks for the info!

Personally to me, Nd off videos are more clear, bright juicy colours and more pleasant to watch. I've just got my filters from delivery, but haven't tested them yet. Thanks for video. It's quite right that Nd is not of high necessity, because all "pro's" say that you won't have life without Nd.. ))

I found using polarizing ND filters "pop" some colors, aside from the fact they are suppose to be neutral on my Mini 2. I usually have to shift the WB to a bit cooler temp to get a truer color.

It seems like a ND filter probably shouldn't be your first upgrade to your drone. I would say extra battery or other accessories first.

Freewell’s email list just got a bit shorter. 😁

I totally agree with everything you are saying! This is one of the best explanation of ND filters for drone that I've seen... I use ND filters only when I'm flying low and fast or taking a picture with long exposure for a nice blurry effect. One of the reason that I'm not using ND filters most of the time is that I like to be able to take a screenshot from the 4K video. I also feel that the image is better and clearer without the extra layer of glass from the ND filter. Looking forward to the next one... Thank you! 🙏

Thanks for this, I didn’t see much of a difference between shots in terms of blur, but I.preferred the non ND shots for clarity and sharpness.

Tons of value shared from this video. I'm returning my ND filter tomorrow,

yes.. I planned to buy the ND64 and CPL filter only.. coz most of the nd filters I may never use it later. but then I found the K&F single adjustable range ND filter ND32 - ND 256. SO I bought that instead. also the CPL only filter

Great helpful video, Jeven I have a question here. Motion blur is one aspect with ND Filters. Aren't ND filters necessary if you have a bright sunny day or an overcast/cloudy day? I live in a country where its bright sunshine all year round. I think I need to have respective filter mounted on my drone to manage it, Don't I? Please guide me on this? Thanks!

Great video. I think the filters are a great addition but as you say, not necessary. Better to spend time learning to tell the story and shoot better content before adding the complexity of the filters. Thanks.

Interesting video. I've recently bought my first drone and was close to buying a set of ND filters. But looking at your examples here, I'd much prefer to have sharper looking video than blurry footage. They might be useful for long exposure photos though or if it's a really bright day.

Outstanding content delivery as usual. Learning is cool.

The one differences video editing, if you edit on a 24 FPS timeline with 30 FPS footage then you’ll drop four frames every second which will make it look jittery, regardless of any filter or not

Top notch advice. Thank you. I don't take much footage with fast motion in it, but I did notice something the other day. A bird flew across the scene and it looked very jerky. So even if most of the footage doesn't benefit from an ND filter/slower shutter, it might make those unexpected fast movements look better. I don't have ND filters yet, so I'm not sure.

You just simplified my life a little bit 🙂 thank you!

What a great video. Examples to back everything up. Love it. You're the man.

This is a fantastic explanation as to why nailing exposure matters more than motion blur. One constructive feedback..you should add as an annotation to the video is that every time you say ND off its implicit that you are saying the shutter speed can be varied or set to auto if needed - if someone is new to photography/videography they might not catch that and it might seem to give them the opinion that NDoff vs NDon while everything else is auto.

From experience I would say that buying a set of ND filters is as waste of money for the most part. You'll probably wind up using the higher strengths like ND 32 and ND 64 and even those you would only need to use in certain situations as your video suggests. One of the best breakdowns on the use of ND filters I've seen on KZfaq.

I just bought a Mini 2 and wish you posted this last week before I bought the set of filters. Oh well, subscribed

Living in Arizona, very very bright most days, I use a ND16 on at all times. It helps a bit.

What is the 180 rule?

Hey, I've got a rookie question perhaps. I bought the whole set of those nd filters from farewell for my DJI MINI 2. And the NDPL filters there have a movable circle around, there are two tiny white lines to mark the postion of the rotation. My question is what influence does this rotation have? I mean if the white lines are aligned it is maks polarizing efect or min poalrizing efect?

I don't know how I got to this video but it was really interesting to watch it. Maybe cause I've got a drone. As I'm filming a lot, I can tell you that this comparison is a bit incorrect. You're filming in the open space, with one or two moving objects. Trees doesn't count, cause that's how people's brain work. You introduce them with the main object of the scene. In your example it's a car. Everything around is just checked momentarily just to understand where the object is. That's all, but now, move to a scene where are a lot of fast moving objects. For example you're filming a chase in a city with a lot of moving objects. If you won't use ND filter, the scene will be without motion blur. And the watchers brain will be stuttering. Cause everything looks the same. Now, we use ND, and put our main subjects in the center of the frame. Everything around them will be a bit blurry. The brain still understands where is the main object, it understands where the scene goes and you literally blur out everything unnecessary. It's like you're telling viewers where to watch and where you want them to look at that moment. That's why you really need filters. Also, you didn't mention the CPL filter. Cause I literally hate when everybody who wants to film oceans, beaches etc aren't using them in a sunny day. Cause literally half of the scene is gone by sun's reflection on the water. You have to go through a lot of mistakes to understand how this thing works. Also, you use NDs to make scene a bit darker, if you can't correct exposure or iso... It's also one of the first rules.. You can make dark image brighter. Yeah, it's a bit hard sometimes because of the noise, but doable. And you CAN'T fix overexposed scene. If you overexposed the sky you literally can't fix it. In the white color there's no info about the correct color. It's just a white blank... I've used this rule all my life. Saved me a lot of footage. Sometimes you just can't see it right on the filming spot. And than you watch footage at home on a big screen and that's unusable...

Far off backgrounds on fast panning shots are very noticeable with high shutter speeds. I noticed the No ND pan was much slower than the ND On pan. This is why that was less noticeable.

You can't educate enough on this subject. In your last comparison while tracking the car, the difference in video quality is minor. The scene was during sunset while the filter was off and full day while filter was on. Since the shutter was probably a bit slower for the sunset, you were able to get slight motion blur without the need for a filter. In my own experience, I use an ND4 or nothing for low light or sunsets and it still looks pretty good although we are still above the 180 degree rule. I think for landscape videos, the 180 degree rule does not make a big difference. That rule seems to work best when filming low to the ground with people or fast moving subjects.

Makes it sense to use nd filters also in auto-modus?

Difference is maybe most significant in the colorgrading

Yea I notice a difference: A complete CHANGE OF FRIGGIN SCENERY AND COLOR PALETTE! If there's one kind of A or B example I hate, it's when the subjects being compared are completely different from each other

beside the obvious sharpness with the non ND filters shots. Question, if you have drone like a mavic 2 pro that have a variable aperture could I make adjustments to get a properly exposed image without ND filters?

Excellent content for beginners. I

Thank you for that concise tutorial on ND filters!

On my 4k TV yeah see a huge difference. The non nd filter clips look super sharp and vibrant where as the the nd filter clips look soft. I like the sharp look and I like the soft look so depends on the feel or video you're going for.

I use mine on my 2S for long exposure pics and on sunny days. Even with the VND's its a pain though.

Fantastic honest video. Thank you. I have subscribed.

To me it just looks darker and only one side by side example I liked. My perception of course and I am just learning all this. I plan on getting the Mini Pro 3 for the stealth low noise even if I decide to use it for commercial use. Bright sunny days I can see value but I guess I will have to test. Thanks great info!

Thanks for being so honest about the utility of the ND filters. Personally, I fly and film quite high from above (30 to 50 m) capturing wider nature views, and ND filtres do not improve the footage.

So, higher shutter speed would cause stutters? I have stutterers flying my Phantom 4 but no stutterers flying my mini 3. I don’t know if the stutters are related to shutter speed. I never thought about it!

I love you talking a about this even you have talked some before coz it’s educational information pls don’t feel repetition❣️

Excellent Tutorial Video On ND Filters!! Great Advice Jeven!!

You really explain things so well. Thank you for making this

My problem - very much a newbie at the topic - I'm comparing one shot with bright white ground vs one with browns and greens. One is psychologically brighter and interferes with making distinctions. But also, I never view on MY phone, that's what my monitors are for. (I refuse to shoot vertically, too much info lost when watched on 16:9...)

Great vid mate (like all your others) and you're so good at explaining. If I'm understanding correctly, the filters are only needed for the motion blur effect. But I'm from sunny Malta in Europe and I mainly use auto on my Mini 2 videos. So when it's sunny and I set my EV to -0.7 or -1.. is this best way to reduce that white wash? I'd prefer not buying filters not to mess around with my gimbal.

Perfect , thank you!

Amazing content as always!!, I have a dji mini 2 and i love the quality even without filters

Better bay ND FILTERS or DJI Mini 3 Pro Wide-Angle Lens were I going to be noticeably?

What type of filter do you need to photograph the solar eclipse using the DJI Mavic 3?

While shooting a drone in daylight, he noticed that the white buildings were shining a lot. In this case, would it help if I used nd filter?

My brothers and I are going fishing in northern Canada at the Grass River Lodge. I plan to take my DJI Mini 4 Pro along. I purchased ND Polarized filters, for example (ND64PL). My understanding is that polarized ND filters are useful for sunny days in a boat while on the water. Is this correct?

A great video. I can't be bothered with ND filters when flying my drone. I like the footage without a filter on my Mavic2Zoom. It is good enough for what I want. Thanks for your videos they are really useful to me.

Oooo. A question I didn’t even realize I wanted answer for HAHA. Love hearing your thoughts on this since I always did find a hassle sometimes to switch filters on my Mavic Air 2 mid shoot! Awesome video! 💯✔️🔥

nice cinematic for drone

The comparison isn't quite apple to apple, especially comparing summer-like footage with blunt white snowy footage... But, I still learned the ND filter is basically not needed, at all.

There didn't seem to be a lot of air movement in your videos. Breezy days with tree branches swaying with the wind present a different scenario altogether.

cant ii just add motion blur post filming when editing? Would u say the "natural" motion blur is cleaner?

The ND on examples look like there's some color LUT. Does the ND change the colors?

I know this is an older video - but as someone who's shooting exclusively in the Florida sun, over the water 90% of the time, I would think ND or PL would be a must. Especially if i want to see through the water at any sea life that may be stalking the beach. Am I wrong?

Thank you Jeven. I've been wondering about ND filters for a while now. Assumed that I need one. Probably not going to get one now.

Great content as always mate, keep it up. Was on way to Egypt with my new osmo pocket 2 to test run today but got turned away at the airport....didn't have 6 months on my passport 😭, so I'm watching you instead 😀

Thanks for this video, I’m not seeing a huge difference. Out of convenience seems better to leave them off

Question, with a 30FPS drone like the Mini 3 that I just ordered, don't I need the ND filter to make the image less stuttering? With 60FPS it's a lot easier to get less stuttering image as I experience with my pocket 3. So I'm afraid that in sunny summer conditions a 30FPS 4K drone shot also needs at least and ND5 to make this some easier in a lot of situations? I get it when you're really high in the sky but just circling around an object I soon see stuttering with my pocket 3. I can't imagine that this doesn't happen with drone close-up shots?

when doing a comparison. it would help if we had the exact same shot but with the ND on or ND off, but you gave us 2 completely different examples in terms of location. So for me I couldnt make a comparison.

GREAT explanation! Thanks!

I agree. Just depends on what the person is using it for. To make really good videos. U need em.

Thanks for this. I think I'll just buy them when I really see that I need them, which may be never.

It's surprising to see there's no stuttering on the Non-ND filter footage. I have experienced that in the past in some situations. But I think it can be fixed with optical flow in Premiere. Also yes basically the biggest difference is the Non-ND filter footage is too sharp, at all times. For most people I guess that's not a deal-breaker. Thanks for the comparison!

Very helpful and informative

@5:30 So with ND off the bright blue skies turn to sunset? @6:30 ND changes seasons and adds snow to the ground? Great Comparison.

I've ended up with some over/under exposed footage trying to fix my shutter speed and guess at the right ND filter on my mavic air with no aperture adjustment. I want to quickly get my drone up and get some footage with minimal interruption to the adventure and for me it seems not worth it. I'll still slap an ND on there if it is sunny, but have mostly given up on trying to fix the shutter speed.

Really good Video, thanks bro

Is a HD filter more important for the F1.7 on a mini 3 pro. Thanks for your info.

is the shutter speed same for both examples on this video?

Great contain and super interesting topic. Thank you for sharing this with us! You are an awesome 👏👏👍👍❤️❤️❤️

Good One Bro..well explained

No ND filter gang where you at!?!?!

would a lower shutter speed affect the battery consumption?

My question is which rating ND filter do you use the most?

IMO i think ND filter is more for a cinematic effect like action shooting while "no-ND" is more like a documentary. In cinema you focus on the subject of action and the story of that subject while in documentaries you show all the details and views and your story is not centered.

I think ND filters are only useful in very specific situations. I have tried them on my drone and have not felt they enhance my videos. I often film steam trains and want to extract stills from the 4K video. In those situations I never use ND filters. Thank you for your honest analysis!

Great video, thank you for this thorough explanation! Where did you film these short clips? Especially the nd off footage looks very interesting to go with a awd car!

If you are going to do a comparison with ND on and ND off..use the same landscape..ND filters are ok if you stay in Auto...

What if you put an nd filter and have the drone in manual

although there are some filters that kinda make the image look better, some of them kinda pop some colors or dehaze mountains at a long distance and stuff like that

what about for highlights?